Company Profile
Penrose-St. Francis Health Services
Company Overview
Penrose-St. Francis Health Services is a 522 bed multihospital system located at the base of Pikes Peak in beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado. The hospital is one of thirteen faith based hospitals in the Centura Health Network, the largest healthcare system in Colorado.
One of the Best Places to Live in the US
Colorado Springs, sitting at the base of Pikes Peak, is commonly identified as one of the “Healthiest Cities in America” and “Best Places to Live in the US” (http://www.coloradosprings.org/doc/Rankings.pdf). A community of approximately 600,000 Colorado Springs has approximately 9,000 acres of parks, 500 acres of trails, and 5,000 acres of open space not to mention it sits aside the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Additionally, Colorado Springs is located a mere two hours from some of the world’s best skiing, hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities. Home of the US Olympic Committee and Training Center, Colorado Springs also hosts a wide variety of college sports (Air Force Academy and Colorado College) and is only an hour from nearly any professional sports venue. And, for the more sophisticated interest Colorado Springs hosts a wide variety of theater, music, and other cultural activities to suit any need.
Company History
Celebrating 125 Years of Service to the Community 1887-2012
St. Francis Health Center, formerly St. Francis Hospital, was the first hospital in Colorado Springs. Established in 1887, the hospital began as a treatment clinic for injured railroad workers who were involved in the construction of the Midland Railroad's Colorado Springs to Leadville Line. It was founded by Dr. B. P. Anderson, a physician and surgeon for the Midland Railroad Company, at a time when the railroad was the driving force behind the growth of Colorado Springs and the rest of the west.
Assisting Dr. Anderson in the clinic were four Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration who had traveled west from Lafayette, Indiana. Dr. Anderson became familiar with the nursing skills of the Sisters of St. Francis during the Civil War. Two weeks after the Sisters arrived in Colorado Springs, a construction train derailed near Leadville, Colorado. About 60 of these injured workers were brought to the clinic in Colorado Springs. It became clear to Dr. Anderson and the Sisters that the city needed a larger medical facility to care for not only the workers and their families but also other residents moving into the Colorado Springs area.
Through door-to-door solicitation, the Sisters raised $20,000 to build the city's first hospital on the same site St. Francis Health Center occupies today. The new St. Francis Hospital opened in 1888 and began by treating the critically ill and injured (the area's first emergency/trauma patients) as well as those suffering from cholera, diphtheria, typhoid, tuberculosis and polio. It was in 1889 that St. Francis opened the first obstetrical unit in the area to complement its services for trauma victims and those suffering with contagious diseases.
The hospital's focus on emergency/trauma care remained one of its primary focuses for 107 years. Among some of the other emergency/trauma-related services established by St. Francis over the years have been: opening of the Langstaff-Brown Medical Center in Woodland Park, Colorado, in 1982; establishment of the Flight for Life Helicopter program in 1983; establishment of the city's first certified Level II Trauma Center and first hospital-owned ambulance services in 1987. The ambulance service was sold to AMR in 1992.
With the decision, in 1994, to relocate trauma services from St. Francis to Penrose Hospital, where all of the major tertiary services of the Penrose-St. Francis system were located, the new St. Francis went back to its roots as a health center with primary emphasis on outpatient surgery, rehabilitation and behavioral health.
Penrose Hospital was founded in 1890 as the Glockner Tuberculosis Sanatorium by Mrs. Albert (Marie Gwynne) Glockner shortly after her husband's death from tuberculosis. Serving as a consultant to Mrs. Glockner, and as the Sanatorium's first superintendent, was Dr. B. P. Anderson who founded St. Francis Hospital. It was in 1893 that Mrs. Glockner, who had previously returned to her family home in Columbus, Ohio, asked the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Ohio, to assume ownership of the Sanatorium. This seemed most fitting to Mrs. Glockner since it was the Sisters of Charity Congregation who had already established hospitals and sanatoriums in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Pueblo, Colorado.
Between 1900 and 1919, Glockner Sanatorium had undergone numerous development projects expanding its services to become a general acute care hospital. To meet the needs of the fast-growing community, the Sisters provided surgical facilities to serve a group of thoracic surgeons when lung removal was first used to arrest tuberculosis. When the first bronchoscopy west of St. Louis was performed, it was performed at the Glockner Sanatorium and Hospital.
It was in 1939, during the jubilee year of the Glockner Sanatorium and Hospital, that plans were announced concerning the selection of the Glockner medical facility as the site for the Penrose Tumor Institute (forerunner of today's Penrose Cancer Center). Spencer Penrose, who earned his fortune in copper mining and real estate development, saw a need for a cancer treatment center in Colorado Springs where people from the Pikes Peak region who were suffering from cancer (like he) could be treated locally with the latest technology.
Mr. Penrose died before his wife, Julie, officially dedicated the Penrose Cancer Center Pavilion in 1941 making the hospital one of the most famous hospitals in the United States offering comprehensive cancer research and diagnosis and the latest in cancer treatment: radiation therapy. In the same year, Mrs. Verner Z. Reed gave the Sisters a major donation to build a new nurses residence addition to the hospital in memory of her daughter, Margery Reed Mayo. The Margery Reed building now serves as a medical office building for Penrose-St. Francis physicians.
In 1947, Mrs. Glockner suggested that the name of the facility be changed to Glockner-Penrose Hospital in recognition of the generous contributions of Spencer and Julie Penrose through the El Pomar Foundation. Twelve years later, in 1959, upon the dedication of the 12-level bed tower addition to the hospital, Mrs. Glockner once again asked that the name of the hospital be changed to Penrose Hospital as a tribute to Julie Penrose who had contributed $3.2 million toward the building project.
Major building projects over the past 40 years have provided new surgery facilities, intensive care units, an outpatient care center, an emergency trauma department, and a new cancer center addition.
Penrose Community Hospital, formerly Colorado Springs Community Hospital, was founded in 1975. In 1978, Charter Medical Group, which owned the small 88-bed hospital located on the plains in northeast Colorado Springs, was looking for a buyer and was approached by Sister Myra James Bradley, then administrator of Penrose Hospital. Knowing the great potential for this little community hospital, Sister Myra James received permission from the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati to purchase the hospital and make it a part of the new Penrose Health System. Penrose Community Hospital specialized in short stay and outpatient medical-surgical care with a string orientation to family-centered services and maternal-child health. It closed in August 2008 with the opening of the new St. Francis Medical Center.
St. Francis Medical Center opened in August 2008 and is the only full-service hospital in northern Colorado Springs. The $207 million facility houses 156 patient beds as well as the region's largest Birth Center and a full-service Emergency Department.
Consolidation of Two Catholic Hospital Systems
As a result of the 1987 agreement between the Sisters of St. Francis of Colorado Springs and the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Ohio, to consolidate their health care facilities nationwide, Penrose-St. Francis Health Services was officially created in July 1990 bringing the two Catholic Hospital Systems in Colorado Springs together.
It was in mid-December 1995 that the Sisters of Charity Health Services Colorado and Porter Care Adventist Health System formed a nonprofit statewide health system known as Centura Health.
Today, Centura Health is sponsored by Catholic Health Initiatives (one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the United States) and Adventist Health System.
As a nonprofit, faith-based organization, Penrose-St. Francis Health Services and Centura Health invests every dollar we earn into furthering our mission. Centura provides expert compassionate care throughout the state, from Boulder County and the mountain communities, to Metro Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Canon City, and surrounding rural communities.
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
When it comes to your health care, you should never compromise. Penrose-St. Francis Health Services has been recognized as the only Colorado recipient of HealthGrades America's 50 Best Hospitals for 6 consecutive years, placing us in the top 1% of hospitals in the nation.
Penrose-St. Francis Health Services superior clinical quality has placed it among an elite group of U.S. hospitals: HealthGrades America's 50 Best Hospitals. Both Penrose Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center worked to collectively be recognized with this distinction. These hospitals together are the only named recipient in the state of Colorado.
To achieve this honor, a hospital must have had risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates that allow them to rank among the top five percent in the nation for the most consecutive years. In fact, Penrose-St. Francis has done so for eight years in a row. The America's 50 Best Hospitals represent the top one percent of hospitals in the entire country for healthcare quality and, on average, their patients had a nearly 30 percent lower risk of death and 3.45 percent lower rate of complications. Penrose-St. Francis has achieved this for four years in a row, demonstrating consistent superiority and a culture that strives for the very best care for its patients each and every year.
HealthGrades study found that if all U.S. hospitals performed at the level of Penrose-St. Francis, more than a half million Medicare deaths could have been prevented between 1999 and 2009. The study was based on an analysis of more than 140 million Medicare patient records.
HealthGrades Americas 50 Best study compared the performance of hospitals like Penrose-St. Francis to all others and found:
•If all hospitals performed at the level of the HealthGrades America's 50 Best, approximately 55,000 Medicare patient deaths, or 550,000 over the last decade, could have been prevented.
•Compared with all other hospitals, the HealthGrades America's 50 Best had risk adjusted mortality rates that were, on average, 28.59 percent lower and risk-adjusted in-hospital complication rates that were 3.45 percent lower.
•86 percent are not-for-profit or local government entities.
•For some procedures and treatments, the variation was much wider. For treatment of pneumonia, the 50 Best hospitals had, on average, a 43.82 percent lower risk-adjusted mortality, and for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease the hospitals had, on average, 42.81 percent lower risk adjusted mortality.
To learn more about this award, visit the links below:
Report
Methodology
Additionally, HealthGrades found that Penrose-St. Francis Health Services is among the Top 10 percent in the nation for superior quality performance in:
America's Best 100 Hospitals
One of HealthGrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery™ in 2013
One of HealthGrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Critical Care™ for 2 Years in a Row (2012-2013)
Cardiology
Ranked #7 in CO for Overall Cardiac Services in 2013
Ranked #4 in CO for Cardiac Surgery in 2013
Ranked #9 in CO for Cardiology Services in 2013
Ranked Among the Top 10 in CO for Overall Cardiac Services for 11 Years in a Row (2003-2013) (Ranked 7 in 2013)
Ranked Among the Top 5 in CO for Cardiac Surgery in 2013 (Ranked 4 in 2013)
Ranked Among the Top 10 in CO for Cardiology Services for 11 Years in a Row (2003-2013) (Ranked 9 in 2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Coronary Bypass Surgery in 2013
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Heart Attack for 2 Years in a Row (2012-2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Heart Failure for 11 Years in a Row (2003-2013)
Emergency Medicine
Recipient of the HealthGrades Emergency Medicine Excellence Award™ for 3 Years in a Row (2010-2012)
Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Emergency Medicine for 3 Years in a Row (2010-2012)
Five-Star Recipient for Emergency Medicine for 3 Years in a Row (2010-2012)
Critical Care
Recipient of the HealthGrades Critical Care Excellence Award™ for 9 Years in a Row (2005-2013)
Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Critical Care for 9 Years in a Row (2005-2013)
Ranked #5 in CO for Critical Care in 2013
Ranked Among the Top 5 in CO for Critical Care for 8 Years in a Row (2006-2013) (Ranked 5 in 2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Overall Critical Care for 9 Years in a Row (2005-2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Sepsis for 10 Years in a Row (2004-2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism for 9 Years in a Row (2005-2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Respiratory Failure for 9 Years in a Row (2005-2013)
General Surgery
Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Bowel Obstruction
GI Medical Treatment
Ranked #9 in CO for GI Services in 2013
Ranked #6 in CO for General Surgery in 2013
Ranked #8 in CO for GI Medical Treatment in 2013
Ranked Among the Top 10 in CO for GI Services for 9 Years in a Row (2005-2013) (Ranked 9 in 2013)
Ranked Among the Top 10 in CO for General Surgery for 2 Years in a Row (2012-2013) (Ranked 6 in 2013)
Ranked Among the Top 10 in CO for GI Medical Treatment for 9 Years in a Row (2005-2013) (Ranked 8 in 2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Bowel Obstruction for 10 Years in a Row (2004-2013)
Neurosciences
Ranked #5 in CO for Neurosciences in 2012
Ranked #3 in CO for Neurosurgery in 2012
Ranked Among the Top 5 in CO for Neurosciences in 2012 (Ranked 5 in 2012)
Ranked Among the Top 5 in CO for Neurosurgery in 2012 (Ranked 3 in 2012)
Five-Star Rated for Neurosurgery in 2012
Orthopedics
Recipient of the HealthGrades Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™ in 2013
Recipient of the HealthGrades Joint Replacement Excellence Award™ for 3 Years in a Row (2011-2013)
Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Overall Orthopedic Services in 2013
Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Joint Replacement in 2013
Ranked #1 in CO for Overall Orthopedic Services in 2013
Ranked #2 in CO for Joint Replacement in 2013
Ranked #3 in CO for Spine Surgery in 2013
Ranked Among the Top 5 in CO for Overall Orthopedic Services for 3 Years in a Row (2011-2013) (Ranked 1 in 2013)
Ranked Among the Top 5 in CO for Joint Replacement for 3 Years in a Row (2011-2013) (Ranked 2 in 2013)
Ranked Among the Top 5 in CO for Spine Surgery for 3 Years in a Row (2011-2013) (Ranked 3 in 2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Overall Orthopedic Services for 3 Years in a Row (2011-2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Joint Replacement for 3 Years in a Row (2011-2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Spine Surgery for 3 Years in a Row (2011-2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Total Knee Replacement for 3 Years in a Row (2011-2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Total Hip Replacement for 3 Years in a Row (2011-2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Hip Fracture Treatment in 2013
Five-Star Recipient for Back and Neck Surgery (Spinal Fusion) for 3 Years in a Row (2011-2013)
Pulmonary Services
Recipient of the HealthGrades Pulmonary Care Excellence Award™ for 9 Years in a Row (2005-2013)
Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Overall Pulmonary Services in 2013
Ranked #6 in CO for Overall Pulmonary Services in 2013
Ranked Among the Top 10 in CO for Overall Pulmonary Services for 11 Years in a Row (2003-2013) (Ranked 6 in 2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Overall Pulmonary Services for 9 Years in a Row (2005-2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in 2013
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Pneumonia for 11 Years in a Row (2003-2013)
Stroke Care
Ranked Among the Top 5 or 10 in Colorado for Treatment of Stroke
Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Stroke
Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Stroke for 7 Years in a Row (2006-2012
Women's Health
Recipient of the HealthGrades Women's Health Excellence Award™ for 4 Years in a Row (2009/2010-2010/2011 & 2011-2012)
Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Women's Health for 4 Years in a Row (2009/2010-2010/2011 & 2011-2012)
Five-Star Recipient for Women's Health for 4 Years in a Row (2009/2010-2010/2011 & 2011-2012)
Vascular
Recipient of the HealthGrades Vascular Surgery Excellence Award™ for 2 Years in a Row (2012-2013)
Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Vascular Surgery for 2 Years in a Row (2012-2013)
Ranked #1 in CO for Vascular Surgery for 2 Years in a Row (2012-2013)
Ranked Among the Top 5 in CO for Vascular Surgery for 2 Years in a Row (2012-2013) (Ranked 1 in 2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Vascular Surgery for 2 Years in a Row (2012-2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Carotid Surgery for 2 Years in a Row (2012-2013)
Five-Star Recipient for Peripheral Vascular Bypass for 2 Years in a Row (2012-2013)
The nation's nearly 5,000 hospitals were all included in this sweeping study, which examined mortality rates and complication rates from government data from 2007, 2008 and 2009.
What does this designation mean for patient care?
Top-performing hospitals, like Penrose-St. Francis, have dramatically lower mortality rates than other hospitals, according to the study. For the 17 procedures and diagnoses for which HealthGrades analyzed mortality rates, patients at top hospitals have a 72 percent lower chance of dying when compared with the lowest-performing hospitals, and a 53 percent lower chance of dying when compared to the U.S. national average.When looking at rates of complication across 10 procedures studied, there was an 80 percent lower chance of experiencing one or more complications in a 5-star rated hospital compared to a 1-star rated hospital. When comparing 5-star rated hospitals to the U.S. hospital average the chance is 63 percent lower of developing one or more in-hospital complication.
How does HealthGrades rate hospitals?
HealthGrades rates hospitals independently based on data that hospitals submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. No hospital can opt in or out of being rated, and no hospital pays to be rated. For 26 procedures and medical treatments, HealthGrades issues star ratings that reflect the mortality and complication rates for each category of care. Hospitals receiving a 5-star rating have mortality or complication rates that are below the national average, to a statistically significant degree. A 3-star rating means the hospital performs as expected. One-star ratings indicate the hospital's mortality or complication rates in that procedure or treatment are statistically higher than average. Because the risk profiles of patient populations at hospitals are not alike, HealthGrades risk-adjusts the data to allow for equal comparisons.
More information on the HealthGrades study, the complete methodology and comparisons to other hospitals can be found at www.healthgrades.com.
View our additional awards and honors.
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Benefits
Penrose-St. Francis Health Services recognize that benefits are an important element of a total compensation package offered by employers. Centura provides a comprehensive and competitive benefits package for benefit-eligible associates that support a work/life balance. Associates working full and part-time are eligible for benefits if they are scheduled to work at least 20 hours bi-weekly.
Associates who do not work enough hours for benefit-eligibility are still eligible for the other benefit options such as the Employee Assistance Program, the Associate Discount Program and may be eligible for the retirement program if enough hours are worked and paid during the plan year.
At Centura, we'll provide you with the total benefits package to manage your health, your career, your future and your life!
•We will provide you with benefits to manage your health.
Medical Insurance - 3 plans to choose from
Dental Insurance - 2 plans to choose from
Vision Insurance
•We will provide you with benefits to manage your career.
Tuition Assistance Programs
Scholarship Programs
•We will provide you with benefits to manage your future.
Retirement Plans - Employer funded 401(a) Pension plan
and 403(b) Tax Deferred Annuity plan
Employer paid Associate Life Insurance
Supplemental Life Insurance for you, your spouse or children
Short-term Disability
Long-term Disability
•We will provide you with benefits to manage your life.
Paid-time off (PTO) banks for holiday and vacation time off
Extended Illness Bank (EIB) for extended sick time
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Flexible Spending Account (for healthcare and daycare expenses)
Associate Discount Program
Flexible Scheduling options
Generous Leave of Absence policy
Wellness and Fitness Centers (at designated facilities)
Reward and Recognition Programs
Cafeteria Discount at designated facilities
Award Winning Care